Electrical computers and digital processing systems: memory – Storage accessing and control – Specific memory composition
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-22
2001-10-09
Nguyen, Than (Department: 2187)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: memory
Storage accessing and control
Specific memory composition
C711S004000, C711S111000, C711S115000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06301638
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a reproducing method for reproducing data from a recording medium for example a digital audio CD (Compact Disc), in particular, a reproducing method being accomplished as an application program of a computer and a computer readable record medium on which such an application program has been recorded.
2. Description of the Related Art
As storing units for computers, CD-ROMs that feature large storage capacity, high speed access, low cost, and so forth and their drives have been widely used. A CD-ROM is a derivative of a CD-DA (simply referred to as CD) on which a digital audio signal is recorded. Normally, computer data such as an application program is recorded on a CD-ROM. As an application of a personal computer, an application program that allows a CD-ROM drive of a personal computer to function as a CD player is known.
In a conventional CD player (dedicated unit), for user's convenience, various types of information corresponding to reproduction information of a disc are displayed. As well-known examples, program numbers (so-called track numbers) recorded to sub-codes of Q channel as mode
1
and time information assigned to each track number are reproduced and displayed.
In addition, a format of which character information such as an album title of a CD is recorded to sub-codes of R to W channels in a lead-in area has been proposed. This format is referred to as CD-TEXT. As the CD-TEXT format, lead-in information (mode
4
) and program area information (mode
2
) have been defined. When TOC is read, the lead-in information is stored in a memory (RAM) of a reproducing unit. When the user desires the information, it can be displayed. On the other hand, information of the program area can be displayed at a timing designated by a producer of the CD. The present invention is applied to the mode
4
of the CD-TEXT format.
In the case of a CD player, when data is reproduced from a CD corresponding to the CD-TEXT format, the CD-TEXT information is read at a timing of which the CD is loaded to the CD player. The CD-TEXT information is decoded and stored in the memory. When necessary, the CD-TEXT information is displayed. Since the album title, performer name, and so forth of the CD are displayed, the user can easily know the contents of the CD.
In the CD-TEXT format, information of around 6500 characters can be recorded. Since information of most of album titles of CDs is 800 characters or less, character information in eight languages can be recorded. As will be described later, in the CD-TEXT format, a text group is composed of block
0
to block
7
corresponding to up to eight languages. In each block, one character code is used. The block
0
is always required. When the storage capacity of the memory of a CD player is small, only the block
0
is read with priority. Thus, an internationally common language such as English is assigned to a low-number block.
An application program that allows a computer to function as a CD player is preferably applicable to the CD-TEXT format. However, in a system of which a conventional drive such as a CD-ROM drive is connected to a host computer, an application program of the host computer does not obtain CD-TEXT information. In other words, a method for allowing such an application program to obtain CD-TEXT information is not known. The applicant of the present invention has proposed a CD player that displays information recorded on a CD-TEXT disc in a plurality of languages and that allows the user to select a desired language. However, on this CD player, the user should designate a desired language for each CD. In other words, the CD player is not user-friendly.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a reproducing method that allows character information recorded in a management area of a record medium to be displayed in the most proper language of a plurality of languages of the character information when the record medium is loaded to a drive without a user's selecting operation. Another object of the present invention is to provide a recording medium on which a program for such a reproducing method is recorded.
According to the present invention, there is provided a reproducing method for causing a computer to obtain data reproduced from a recording medium loaded to a drive, the recording medium being formatted in such a manner that at least one program and character information associated therewith are recorded on the recording medium, the character information being written in at least one of a plurality of languages, at least one of a plurality of language codes corresponding to the plurality of languages being recorded in a management area of the recording medium, the reproducing method comprising the steps of:
obtaining data reproduced from the management area by the drive;
detecting a language of character information associated with a program recorded on the recording medium corresponding to a language code of the obtained data;
detecting country information of an operating system of the computer;
determining whether or not character information of a language corresponding to the country information of the operating system has been recorded on the recording medium; and
displaying character information when the character information in the language corresponding to the country information has been recorded on the recording medium as the determined result of the determining step.
According to the present invention of claim
5
, there is provided a recording medium from which a computer reads a program for a reproducing method for causing the computer to obtain data reproduced from a recording medium loaded to a drive, the recording medium being formatted in such a manner that at least one program and character information associated with the program are recorded on the recording medium, the character information being written in at least one of a plurality of languages, at least one of a plurality of language codes corresponding to the plurality of languages being recorded in a management area of the recording medium, the reproducing method comprising the steps of:
obtaining data reproduced from the management area by the drive;
detecting a language of character information associated with a program recorded on the recording medium corresponding to a language code of the obtained data;
detecting country information of an operating system of the computer;
determining whether or not character information of the language corresponding to the country information of the operating system has been recorded on the recording medium; and
displaying character information when the character information in the language corresponding to the country information has been recorded on the recording medium as the determined result of the determining step.
When application software is installed to a computer corresponding to the reproducing method of the present invention, the user can reproduce for example music from a CD loaded to a driver. In addition, when the loaded CD corresponds to the CD-TEXT format, CD-TEXT information (disc name, song name, and so forth) can be displayed on a computer display in the most proper language of a plurality of languages.
The above, and other, objects, features and advantage of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description thereof which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5925843 (1999-07-01), Miller et al.
patent: 5930768 (1999-07-01), Hooban
patent: 5969283 (1999-10-01), Looney et al.
Sony Press Release (As of Sep. 14, 2000). http://www.sony-cp.com/_E/News
ews48.html. Munich, Jan. 1997.*
“Red Book” definition(As of Sep. 14, 2000) http://www.www.disctronics.co.uk/cdref/cdbooks/redbook.html.*
CD/R Book Standard (As of Sep. 14, 2000).http://www.xdr2.com/CDR-Info/Books.html.*
Computall Services (As of Sep. 4, 2000). http://www.freenet.carleton.ca/~aa571/cdtext.html.
Suzuki Yosuke
Takahashi Masahiro
Maioli Jay H.
Nguyen Than
Sony Corporation
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